2338

development consisting of the re-contouring of agricultural land and associated site works using imported clean inert soil and stones within a farm holding of 4.39 hectares for the consequential benefit to agriculture. A 6 year planning permission is requested, and during this period 126,000 tonnes of inert soil and stones will be imported for the purposes of land reclamation. Permission is also sought for a wheel wash, site office cabin and port aloo. A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) accompanies the planning application

Refused

Core Refusal Reason

The proposal was refused due to the inadequacy of the local road network to accommodate HGV traffic, insufficient environmental impact assessment for a sub-threshold development, and failure to address flood risk concerns.

Decision Maker's Conclusion

  • The local road network (L-5207 and private laneway) lacks the carrying capacity for the projected 7,875 HGV movements, posing a significant safety risk to road users and conflicting with policy CPO 10.52.
  • The application failed to provide adequate documentation to rule out significant environmental impacts for a sub-threshold EIA development, particularly regarding hydrogeology and impacts on nearby residential amenities.
  • The applicant failed to demonstrate that the development would not be prejudicial to public health or at risk of flooding, contrary to the flood risk management objectives of policy CPO 10.106.

Cited Policies (CDP)

CPO 9.30CPO 9.31CPO 10.45CPO 10.52CPO 10.55CPO 10.62CPO 10.106CPO 10.109CPO 10.123CPO 10.127CPO 12.4CPO 12.5CPO 12.6CPO 12.7CPO 12.8CPO 12.13CPO 12.16CPO 12.21CPO 12.22CPO 12.24CPO 12.50CPO 12.51CPO 12.52CPO 13.15CPO 13.17

Decision Document Summary

The applicant sought a 6-year permission for the re-contouring of 4.39 hectares of agricultural land at Heathstown, Mullingar, by importing 126,000 tonnes of inert soil and stones for land reclamation. The site is located in a rural area accessed via a narrow local secondary road and a private grassed track. Westmeath County Council refused the application because the existing road infrastructure is unsuitable for heavy HGV traffic, the environmental assessment was insufficient to rule out signi...
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